SHORT ORDERS FOR MOM
Sweet tortas
Spanish tortas are flat 5-inch rounds made from a barely sweetened dough mixed with olive oil and flavored with tiny bits of aniseed. In Seville, in the south of Spain, the most famous of these is the torta de aceite, which became well-known when sold in the early 20th century by a villager named Ines Rosales. The enterprising baker grew the business by hiring other villagers to help her and as demand increased, she moved the bakery several times. Rosales died young, but more than 90 years later, Spanish women still make her crisp, golden confections by hand, sprinkle the tops with sugar, and individually wrap Ines Rosales sweet olive oil tortas in waxy paper, six to a box (about $4.99). Present them with a bottle of dry, nutty, amontillado sherry and a CD of Segovia's guitar music, for Moms who don't like to travel farther than the back porch for their pleasures. Available at Shubie's Liquors and Marketplace, 16 Atlantic Ave., Marblehead, 781- 631-0149; Foodie's Urban Market, 1421 Washington St., 617-266-9911; many Whole Foods Markets ; or tienda.com. -- SHERYL JULIAN
Sweet somethings
There are few things that go together in a more sweetly satisfying way than chocolate and nuts. Add caramel and you have something addictive. This combination can be found at Ye Olde Pepper Companie. Dixies ($16.95 per pound), begin with almonds, cashews, macadamias, and pecans, which are covered in soft caramel and then topped with chocolate -- dark or milk, and recently, white, too. They look a lot like turtles. The shop also sells Salem Gibralters, a kind of dinner mint. The recipe, says Craig Burkinshaw, son of shop owner Robert, has been in the family for 100 years. Dixies and Gibralters, as well as many other candies, are all made on-site in the Salem shop (there's another location in North Andover). On production days in Salem, you can watch the process through a window at the side wall. These sweets are for Moms who remember when every chocolate was homemade with the finest ingredients. Ye Olde Pepper Companie, 122 Derby St., Salem, 978-745-2744 and 59 Main St., North Andover, 978-689-3636, yeold e peppercandy.com. -- EMILY SCHWABFlour power
Flour Bakery + Cafe has been known since its inception as a perpetually cheerful place, too cheerful, in fact, for morning scowlers or afternoon curmudgeons. But the pastries and sandwiches keep them coming, and the good cheer has spread to the new Flour on Farnsworth Street in the Fort Point Channel, a block behind the Children's Museum. Time was, Old-fashioned appeal
Chocolate with stuff in it is nothing new. We already have bars of Snickers, Payday, and Almond Joy tucked into our messenger bags. The chocolate is just OK, but the stuff -- the nuts and nougat and shredded coconut -- make the candy. Berkshire Bark, a lively new bar , combines rich, top-of-the-line Belgian Callebaut chocolate with whole roasted nuts, fresh citrus rind, and dried fruits (about $4.25 for 2.8 ounces). The studded candy is handmade in the Berkshires by chefs Kevin Schmitz and David Renner and comes in varieties like Mocha Buzz, which begins with milk chocolate, and has roasted almonds, caramel, cocoa nibs, and crushed coffee beans embedded in it; Tropical Heat, with the sting of chili powder and cayenne pepper; and White Lightning, white chocolate with roasted cashews, crystallized ginger, and lemon rind. The bark is rustic and elegant, perfect for Moms raised on old-fashioned candy bars who deserve something better. Available at Boston Cheese Cellar, 18 Birch St., Roslindale, 617-325-2500; Deluxe Town Diner, 627 Mount Auburn St., Watertown, 617-926-8400 ; Foodie's Urban Market, 1421 Washington St., South End, 617-266-9911; Golden Goose Convenient Store, 179 Commercial St., 617-367-3198 ; or berkshirebark.com. -- JONATHAN LEVITT
© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
